Press Releases

Companies Registry releases statistics for first half of 2017

The total number of local companies registered under the Companies Ordinance reached 1,372,303 as at the end of June this year, up 31,080 from the figure by the end of 2016, according to the statistics released by the Companies Registry today (July 9).

A total of 80,533 local companies were newly registered during the first half of 2017, among which 23,691 were incorporated online via the one-stop electronic company incorporation and business registration service at the e-Registry ( www.eregistry.gov.hk).

In an effort to enhance Hong Kong's regulatory regime for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, the Government published in the Gazette on June 23 the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Financial Institutions) (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2017. 

"The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Financial Institutions) (Amendment) Bill 2017 seeks to apply statutory customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements to designated non-financial businesses and professions when they engage in specified transactions while the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2017 seeks to require companies incorporated in Hong Kong to maintain beneficial ownership information," the Registrar of Companies, Ms Ada Chung, said.

Regarding non-Hong Kong companies that have established a place of business in Hong Kong, 462 companies were newly registered under the Companies Ordinance in the first half of 2017, compared to 408 in the second half of 2016. The total number of registered non-Hong Kong companies reached 10,190 by the end of June 2017.

The number of charges on assets of companies received for registration in the first half of this year was 10,499, up 7.49 per cent from 9,767 in the second half of 2016. The number of notifications of payments and releases received for registration in the first half of this year was 11,253, increased by 2.02 per cent when compared to 11,030 in the second half of 2016.

The number of documents delivered for registration during the first six months of 2017 increased by 2.91 per cent to 1,401,981, compared to 1,362,301 in the second half of 2016.

A total of 2,133,383 searches of document image records were conducted through the Registry's electronic search services in the first half of 2017, an increase of 4.14 per cent when compared to the figure of 2,048,520 in the second half of 2016.

For details of the half-yearly statistics, please visit the "Statistics" section of the Registry's website ( www.cr.gov.hk).